Thursday, April 10, 2014

Chicken Dijonaise


This recipe for Chicken Dijonaise was so good and so simple to make.  You can make it in about 30 to 40 minutes from start to finish.  I served it with a salad and mashed butternut squash.  What an easy, healthy recipe.  I am making this one again soon.  

This recipe came from a Better Homes and Gardens 30 Minute Dinners magazine.  I love reading recipes, I read magazines, cookbooks, and of course Pinterest, but simple, fast recipes are my favorites.  This one really fits the bill.  As you know, I don't really follow recipes, so this is my version.


Chicken Dijonaise

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 TB butter
1/2 cup chopped green onions (I used freeze dried chives because I was in a hurry)
2/3 cup cream
1/2 cup white wine (I used moscato)
6 TB dijon mustard

Directions:

Split the butter between two frying pans and melt

Mix the flour, salt, and pepper together.

Coat chicken with flour mixture.

Fry over medium high heat for 10 minutes on each side.

Remove chicken from skillet when done.  I placed them on a platter.

I put all of the drippings into one pan.

Next I added the chives and cooked for about 2 minutes in the drippings.

Next add the wine, cream, and dijon mustard.  Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth and slightly thickened.

Pour the dijonaise sauce over the chicken and serve.

I hope you like this recipe as much as we did.  Let me know what you think.

Have a great week.
Debi

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party 84

We want to thank everyone who shared with Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party 83.  We love seeing all of your posts.

We are looking for co-hosts for the months of April and May.  We would love to have you join us.  Send me a message and we will figure out dates.  We look forward to hearing from you.



Welcome to Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 84.

We are happy to have you at this week's party.  We always love hearing from you, so leave your comments.
Have a great week.

How To Make Eye Moisturizer


Today I'm showing you how to make Eye Moisturizer.  I ran out of eye cream, (ugh!) and decided to make an eye moisturizer (yeah!).  It uses some pretty simple ingredients; jojoba oil, rosehip oil, vitamin E, aloe vera gel, DMAE, and carrot seed essential oil.
You can buy all of these items at a store like Whole Foods or Sprouts.  You can even get them online through Rose Mountain Herbs.


Mountain Rose Herbs. A herbs, health and harmony c

I'm using jojoba oil as a carrier oil, since it is easily absorbed into your skin.  

Rosehip is a great oil with anti-aging benefits.  It penetrates to the lower layers of skin to help increase collagen production.  Rosehip oil also helps fade age spots, restores elastacity, and is high in retinoic acid which helps brighten and firm the skin.

Vitamin E helps firm the skin and also helps fight wrinkles

Aloe Vera Gel is great for hydrating your skin, and is great for sensitive skin around the eye.

Carrot Seed Essential Oil - is great for revitalizing and toning skin and is considered one of the best essential oils for mature skin.  Carrot Seed also assists in removing toxins and water build up in the skin giving it a fresher more firmer appearance.  Which is great for puffiness around your eyes.

DMAE is ideal to help firm and tone throat and facial skin for a more supple look.


How To Make an Eye Moisturizer

Ingredients:

1/2 oz jojoba oil
1/2 tsp aloe vera gel
2 droppers rosehip oil
1/2 dropper vitamin E
6 drops Carrot Seed Essential oil
4 drops DMAE
1 oz amber dropper bottle

Directions:

Whisk all of the ingredients together, and pour into the amber dropper bottle.

To use put a drop on your finger and pat it around your eyes.

Let soak into your skin for a minute then add your makeup as normal.  You can also use this with my Firming Eye Serum.  Put the Firming Eye Serum on first and after that has dried add the eye moisturizer.

Have a great day.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Debi
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Friday, April 4, 2014

Raspberry Italian Cream Soda for Friday's Happy Hour


Vince made these Raspberry Italian Cream Sodas last weekend, and Danny's girls loved them.  We realized that they needed to have the ingredients added in a certain order if we used the sugar free syrup, otherwise the half and half looked like it curdled.  So there was a little trial and error going on also.  Here's the recipe for the regular Italian Cream Soda,  I didn't like the sugar free flavored cream soda.


Raspberry Italian Cream Soda

Ingredients:

6 oz club soda
2 oz Toroni Raspberry Syrup
1 TB half and half

Directions:

Pour the club soda in a glass over ice.

Then add the raspberry syrup (if you use sugar free syrup you need to put the cream in before the syrup.)

Next add your half and half

Stir and serve.

This Raspberry Italian Cream Soda was so pretty and fun, and Juliet loved hers.  We put a pretty straw in it and she thought it was beautiful.

Have a great weekend and we always love hearing from you.
Debi

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Grilled Chicken with Fresh Corn Cakes


Today I am sharing a recipe for Grilled Chicken with Fresh Corn Cakes from The Southen Living Best Chicken Recipes.  This recipe is delicous, and as usual, I don't really follow recipes they are kind of a guideline.  So I am sharing my version of this delicious chicken recipe.  It has a very lemony flavor, and it is so amazing.  I think I may even make it for dinner tonight.  Danny and his family are coming over for dinner and his girls eat everything, so I think they will all love this.


Grilled Chicken with Fresh Corn Cakes

Ingredients:

3 lemons
1 tsp or 2 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
 1 1/2 tsp salt divided
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 can corn roasted on the stove or 3 ears corn husk removed and roasted on the grill
1 TB olive oil
1 6 oz cornbread mix
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I used dried, because the store didn't have any fresh)
8 slices cooked thick bacon
2 cups loosely packed baby spinach  (the original recipe calls for arugula, I didn't have any)

Directions:

Grate the rind from you lemons until you have 1 TB, and then squeeze the lemons to get 1/4 cup of lemon juice

Next whisk lemon juice, the lemon zest, olive oil, dijon mustard, pepper, and 1 tsp salt together.  Set aside 1/4 cup of the lemon mixture for the salad dressing.

Put chicken in a gallon size ziploc bag and pour lemon juice mixture over to marinate the chicken, and let marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat your grill.

Next I roasted my corn in a pan on the stove, because I didn't have any fresh corn.  I just cooked it until it was browned.  If you are using fresh corn, brush it with olive oil and roast it on the grill for 20 minutes.

Cook your chicken on the grill for 20 minutes also.  Turn it after 10 minutes.  So if you are grilling the corn, you can cook the chicken at the same time.  Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the grill and slice it to lay over the salad and corn cakes.

If you are grilling your corn, you will cut it off of the cob next.

Next you will stir together the cornbread mix and 2/3 cup of water, until smooth.  Stir in basil and 1 cup corn kernels.

Pour 1/4 cup batter onto a griddle and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until bubbles form on top and edges look dry.  Then flip the corn cakes and finish cooking.

Next, toss your lettuce with the 1/4 cup lemon mixture and divide it onto 4 plates.  Then put 2 corn cakes on top of the lettuce.  Next you will lay the chicken on top of the corn cakes. Then put the bacon on top of chicken and sprinkle the rest of the roasted corn over all of it.

You are ready to serve.

This makes 4 servings

This is such an amazing dinner.  We love it and hope you do too.

I always love hearing from you.
Enjoy!!!
Debi
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Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party 83

We want to thank everyone who shared with Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party 82.  We love seeing all of your posts.

We are looking for co-hosts for the months of April and May.  We would love to have you join us.  Send me a message and we will figure out dates.  We look forward to hearing from you.



Welcome to Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 83.

We are happy to have you at this week's party.  We always love hearing from you, so leave your comments.
Have a great week.

How To Make Tangerine Foaming Hand Soap


Today I will be showing you how to make Tangerine Foaming Hand Soap.  It is a really simple to make and much less expensive then buying liquid soap at the store.  I ran out of my Dial Foaming Hand Soap yesterday morning and decided that I should just make some rather then buy it.  I had everything on hand, and since one of my favorite essential oils is Tangerine, I decided to make it smell like Tangerines.  I also re-used my Dial Foaming Hand Soap Container to make it foam.  


Tangerine Foaming Hand Soap

Ingredients:

2 oz Dr Bonner's Unscented Baby Mild Liquid Castille Soap
5 oz distilled water
1/4 oz jojoba oil
40 drops tangerine essential oil
1 foaming hand soap container (I used the old one from my Dial Foaming Hand Soap)

Directions:

Put the distilled water in your container first.

Next add the Dr. Bonner's Liquid Castille Soap.

Then add the jojoba oil and your tangerine essential oil.

Put the pump back on your container and shake.

You are ready to go.  It smells wonderful, and is great for in the kitchen.

Here are the reasons that I have used certain ingredients.

1.  Distilled water - I use this because is has less impurities, that could make your ingredients go bad.

2.  Dr. Bonner's Baby Mild Liquid Castille Soap - This is a good all purpose liquid soap that many things can be made from.  It is concentrated so it must be diluted with the distilled water.

3.  Jojoba Oil - I used a little of this because my hands are in water all of the time and the oil makes it less drying.  You could also use olive oil or almond oil if you don't have jojoba on hand.  (I wouldn't use coconut oil because it more of a solid oil then a liquid oil)

4.  Tangerine Essentail Oil -  I love the smell of Tangerines and this is divine.  It is also an antibacterial which is great for hand washing.  You could also use Lemon, which would smell great also.

Bulk organic herbs, spices and essential oils. Sin


I always love hearing from you.  What is your favorite scented hand wash?  I hope you like this Foaming Hand Soap as much as I do.

Have a great week.
Debi

Monday, March 31, 2014

Nun Singing No One

This is a video that I saw last week and wanted to share it with all of you.  This is a nun singing the Alicia Keys song No One.  She is truly amazing.

Here is a link to the video:


She is 25 year old Sister Christina Scuccia, and she is from Sicily. 

"I came here because I have a gift and I want to share that gift.  I am here to evangelize," she said, reports Catholic News Agency.  Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, commented "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others (1 Peter 4:10)."

I felt God covering me as she was singing this song.
I hope you love this as much as I did.  I always love hearing from you.  Let me know what you think about this song.

Here is a link to the lyrics for the song:
No One by Alicia Keys

Have a Blessed Day.
Debi

Thursday, March 27, 2014

How To Make Your Own Cookbook with Blurb

 

How to Make a Blurb Cookbook
(This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated if you purchase through these links)
Ever thought of putting your favorite recipes into a beautiful book you can give as a gift or pass down the generations?Blurb is a company that lets anyone create beautiful books from their favorite content, and get those books shipped in any quantity (even just one copy). Not a designer? That’s ok, Blurb’s free BookSmart software is an easy route to a great cookbook

What's the best way to get started? Holding off a bit. It’s tempting to want to dive right in, but thinking a bit and getting organized is worth it in the end. Make the most of your time by dividing each step into chunks so you can tackle them at different points in your book-making process. 

And here we go:



1. Organize: Gather your recipes and do a process of elimination. Once you’ve narrowed your favorites down, you can gather accompanying images—just make sure you’re giving the recipe and image files the same name to make it easier when it’s time to upload. Keep everything in one folder on your computer.

2. Flow it: Next, determine how you want your cookbook story to flow. Do you want to sort your recipes by age, popularity, or even something else? Once you’ve determined the order, you’ll have done the bulk of your creative decision-making.

3. Get the tool: Download our free book-making tool, BookSmart, choose your book size (Standard Portrait and Standard Landscape are the most popular for cookbooks) and input your title and author name. Then choose “Cookbook” as your starting point — this will give you the best layouts for the job. Then pick a source for your images — from iPhoto, your computer, even Flickr or Picasa. Lastly, choose a theme. Now you’re ready to put together your cookbook. 

 

4. Lay it out: This is where the real book-making comes in. BookSmart will provide you with 20 pages in our standard recipe layout, but you’ll find plenty of alternate layouts in the “Choose page layout” panel on the upper left. You can also add additional pages ­­— including photo pages — by clicking “Add Pages” in the top toolbar.

5. Just add copy: Our layouts provide space for stories, introductions, and those all-important ingredients and directions. Paste in your copy and you’re golden. Then garnish with photos. Don't forget to run BookSmart’s spell check feature. 

 

6. Preview and review: Click “Review book” and go through page by page. If you’re not a natural-born proofreader, ask a friend to take a second look.

7. Order: Make any last minute edits, click “Order,” and follow the prompts to checkout. Remember to order extra copies for friends and family—or sell it in our Bookstore. Order now and save 15% on all print book orders through April 30th with code TAKE15%. 

That’s it, you’re done. Give yourself a toast, a pat on the back, and a moment in the sun. Congratulations! 

Now, I think I am going to make a cookbook.  I have been thinking about putting all of my recipes together for a long time, and I think the time has finally come.

This is a great offer.  I hope you'll at least take a look.
Have a great week.
Debi

Karen's Easy Tortilla Soup


Soups are such a great one pot.  They are fairly easy to make, they are filling, and they are always great on a cold day.  This is a great simple recipe that came from my friend Karen.  I call it Karen's Easy Tortilla Soup.  This recipe has evolved a little over the years, and it is one that my family loves.  My hope is that you will also.


Karen's Easy Tortilla Soup 

Ingredients:

2 14 oz cans Lime Cilantro Diced Tomatoes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can corn drained
1 28 oz can hominy drained
1 14 oz can black beans drained
1 cup mild salsa
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 32 oz box chicken broth ( I use low sodium fat free)
1 rotisserie chicken ( meat taken off the bones and cut into bite sized pieces, or you can put 6 chicken breasts in a dutch oven and season them with seasoned salt and garlic powder. Add enough water to cover and bake at 350 for 2 hour.  Cut breasts into bite sized pieces.)  You can use the liquid in your both.
Tortilla Chips
grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a large dutch oven and cook for 2 hours. 

Serve with tortilla chips and grated cheddar cheese

Serves 6 

This is a delicious and easy recipe.  I hope that you like it as much as we do.  Let me know what you think.  I always love hearing from you.

Enjoy!!!
Debi
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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party 82

We want to thank everyone who shared with Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party 81.  We love seeing all of your posts.

We are looking for co-hosts for the months of April and May.  We would love to have you join us.  Send me a message and we will figure out dates.  We look forward to hearing from you.



Welcome to Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 82.

We are happy to have you at this week's party.  We always love hearing from you, so leave your comments.
Have a great week.